How to Donate Your PC's Downtime to Scientific Research

Q: I've heard about programs that can use the processing power of your computer for scientific research. How does this work, and will it slow down my PC?

A: You're thinking of "distributed computing," which combines the unused processing-power of multiple Internet-connected computers for scientific number crunching. (Distributed computing could be used for anything, really, but most projects have been science-related.)

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Your PC rarely employs 100 percent of its processing capability, and it uses very little while sitting idle. Distributed computing applications sit in the background, waiting for the times when your CPU isn't doing all that much. They use those "spare cycles" to run data-crunching routines, such as simulating the folding of proteins or scanning radio telescope data for extrasolar communications.

The program on your computer connects to the project's master servers, grabs a bit of data and works on it in the background, then uploads the result. Since it is designed to operate as the lowest priority on your PC, it will always defer CPU time to programs you run yourself, such as a Web browser or media player.

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However, since the distributed computing programs are running your CPU at or near 100 percent utilization all the time, your PC will be using more electricity than it would if it were left idle and it will generate the maximum amount of heat.

But this extra heat and power is going to a good cause. The dominant distributed application these days is Stanford's Folding@Home, which aims to use the power of millions of participant PCs -- and PlayStation 3s! -- to work toward cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer. If you'd like to participate, go to folding.stanford.edu.

Distributed computing software uses the downtime of home PCs to solve scientific problems that require massive computing power. It's like volunteer work for bored CPUs.